


Hiccup Haddock's Draconic Adventures

by Fluffmage_Night_Fury7



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:28:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22069288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fluffmage_Night_Fury7/pseuds/Fluffmage_Night_Fury7
Summary: Join Hiccup, Astrid, and Toothless on a new kind of adventure...One morning after wishing on a star, Hiccup finds that he was woken up as a dragon! How will his friends react? How will he cope with his new life?What will the people of Berk think when they find a dragon in Hiccup's place? This story will attempt to answer these questions. Questions you probably never knew you had, or perhaps ones that you've been waiting to be properly answered.WARNING: COMMENT SECTION MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Relationships: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III & Toothless, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson
Comments: 44
Kudos: 31





	1. Responsibilities and Transformation

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place between HTTYD 1 and 2, although it will not be mentioned exactly when. Keep in mind that the overall story is still a work in progress. I hope I put a smile on everyone's face as they read through this!

Hiccup was enjoying a peaceful outing with Toothless in the cove, which was his dragon pet’s favorite place to hang out. The morning was quiet, and not a sound was heard except the splashing and warbles of the playful Night Fury. Hiccup was pondering the possible chief-ing chores of the day, and it brought him unrest. Despite this, he did his best to relax, kicking back on the warm grass and pillowing the back of his head against the ground with his hands.  
Toothless seems happy, he thought as the dragon munched on a juicy fish. I wouldn’t mind being a dragon. They have no chores, no responsibilities, no chiefly duties.

“Oh man,” Hiccup sighed. Toothless knew when his friend was sad, so he immediately bounced over to his horizontal human with concern in his eyes. Hiccup could tell his warbles were filled with worry, so he tried to put them to rest.  
“I’m okay bud, really. Just a little tired, that’s all,” he explained. Toothless wasn’t convinced however, since Hiccup’s eyes had that lost look again. Toothless knew it well. Hiccup had always been one to wear his emotions on his shirt sleeve, and today was no different. The big dragon lowered himself down to the ground, and rested his head on Hiccup’s chest. Hiccup responded by caressing him lightly and playing with the spikes on his head thoughtfully. Soon the truth came out.

“I just don’t know if I can deal with all this bud.” Hiccup finally remarked. “Running the village and making decisions for all the people of Berk? It’s just so much pressure bud. Sometimes I wish I had a way to get away from it all.” With that, Toothless let out a torrent of licks to comfort his friend.

“Toothless! You know--- that doesn’t--- wash out--- bud!” Hiccup complained between licks. Once Toothless was satisfied that his friend had been adequately covered with slimy affections, he sat up on his haunches and waited for Hiccup to get up. Hiccup soon pushed himself off the ground and stood up, after the fairly common task of wiping dragon slobber off one’s face.

“I appreciate the thought bud, and I love you too,” Hiccup said.  
It always fascinated Hiccup that Toothless could understand what he was saying without knowing any Norse, and empathize with him without knowing human emotions, and here he was, inside his embrace after telling him one of the most meaningful things a friend could say. Toothless often acted more human than a human, and it never ceased to amaze Hiccup.

“Thanks bud, for everything,” Hiccup said quietly. He gazed beyond the dark dragon that was his current comfy captor to the sky beyond, and saw that the sun was almost mid-way along its daily journey.

“I think we should head back now Toothless. People will probably start to wonder where we are, especially considering it’s my birthday,” Hiccup sighed. Toothless shifted away from his embrace with Hiccup and planted his fore-feet back on the grassy turf to look at his friend. Instinctively, Toothless rotated himself so that his back was accessible to his friend. Hiccup quickly climbed on, and the two set off to the village of Berk. Hiccup partly wished he had wings so that he could fly on his own, so he could be even more free than being stuck to Toothless’ saddle seat. But it would pain him to not be able to fly with his friend, at least some of the time.  
When the two of them came into the sightlines of the distant village, a strange ant with a peg leg and interchangeable hands came wobbling in their direction. That ant as it turns out was Gobber, and he seemed a bit frustrated as usual.

“You can’t keep running off like this, Hiccup!” Gobber yelled to the approaching rider on his dragon, “one day you’ll be the chief of Berk, and people will depend on you to be their leader.” 

Hiccup waited until his dragon came to a full and complete stop on the ground, then disembarked Toothless’ back and replied with “yeah, well I think I would prefer to leave that to my father.” Hiccup sighed to himself and glanced to Gobber. “Well, what’s on the list today?”

“I think you’ve done enough work for the week with the chief,” Gobber said. “Stoick seems to think you should have some time to relax today, since it is your birthday and all. I don’t know what the big deal is with these days anyway. In the spirit of Viking tradition however, we will have the usual celebration tonight. Wouldn’t want you to miss out on this year’s festivities and fly off somewhere, so Toothless will be staying under lock and key. It’s just for today; I’m sure you’ll be fine with that.”

“Oh, come on,” Hiccup groaned.

“Welp, come along Toothless,” Gobber declared. “It’s time to go.” Toothless was loyal to Hiccup, but he also understood that Hiccup wouldn’t want him to disobey Gobber just because of him, so he walked along with the wobbling Viking, frequently glancing back at his gloomy human to send him reassuring warbles.  
Hiccup hardly knew or perceived anything as he instinctively walked back to his father’s house. It was cold and dark inside, and the heavy wooden door creaked as he pulled it shut behind him. The air smelled of fish, and it instantly reminded Hiccup of his friend, which ignited his hope for just a moment, but then it was extinguished as he remembered Toothless’ uneaten food basket upstairs. Hiccup realized how much he missed his friend, despite the temporary circumstances of separation. Not knowing where his friend was made Hiccup feel extremely uneasy. Toothless and Astrid were the only beings that he hoped he could spend his birthday with, but one of them would not see him at all today. 

At that very moment when Hiccup was pondering these lonely thoughts, a voice behind him yelled out, “Surprise!” Hiccup nearly jumped out of his prosthetic leg. Astrid laughed briefly, knowing that her mission had paid off. When Hiccup was nowhere to be found, she had decided to surprise him when he came home, and she had been waiting for at least an hour or two outside his house to see him riding in the distance on his night fury and sneak in before he approached.

“Astrid!” Hiccup exclaimed, turning to face her. “Do you ever knock? Maybe sneaking into people’s houses while they are out and then surprising them isn’t the best birthday pres-” Astrid interrupted his sentence by grabbing his collar and yanking him close, planting a kiss on his lips.

“Then again, surprises are pretty nice.” Hiccup said after she released him.

“Wait, where’s Toothless? Isn’t he going to spend the day with us?” Astrid inquired.

“No, Gobber’s got him under lockdown until after the celebration, since a certain Viking has a tendency to skip parties.” Hiccup replied sadly.

“I’m sorry to hear that Hiccup. I’m sure Toothless will be okay without you for a day though,” she said.

“I don’t know,” Hiccup remarked. “Toothless and I should be free and flying high above the clouds right now. It feels a lot worse when I have no idea where he is. I just wish there was a way to get away from all the responsibilities of being ‘the chief’s son’ for once.”

“Maybe you just need to take on the responsibility and face your fear of it,” Astrid said. “Maybe it’s not so bad once you try it.”

“I have tried it,” Hiccup said, “but it just doesn’t seem right for me.”

“Being chief is a tough responsibility,” Astrid said, “but if there’s anyone who’s ready to be a chief in this village, it’s you.” Astrid kissed him again, and then embraced him.

“Well, thanks for supporting me it means a lot,” Hiccup declared and gave her a genuine half smile.

"Now you gotta pay me back somehow though," Astrid teased.

"How about a cuddle by a warm fire with the smell of fish in the air?" Hiccup inquired, now smiling completely.

"Sounds like my kind of paradise." She said as she turned her head and laid it on his chest. Hiccup rapped his arms around her and gently squeezed her.  
Needless to say, Hiccup’s mood improved greatly during his time with her. It always did. But of course, the dragon shaped part of Hiccup’s heart remained empty for the time being, and it tormented him to no end.  
After a nice cuddle and a ride on Stormfly, Hiccup and Astrid had to prepare for the night’s festivities. They parted ways with a few waves. Hiccup stood watching her leave from the doorway of his house. Hiccup finally turned and re-entered his house.

A few hours later, all the people of Berk gathered together to celebrate the birthing day of the chief’s son in the great hall. Hiccup tried to hide in the back of the hall. Stoick gave his typical booming speech about how Hiccup will become the greatest chief, and how proud he is of him, etc.. It wasn’t that Hiccup disliked his father, it was just that he expected so much of him, yet Hiccup still had no idea who he was or what he wanted to become. It seemed to many including Hiccup as if the duty of chief was being thrown upon an unfit boy. Hiccup hated his own birthday, as it felt pointless and it put new expectations on his shoulders every year. This year was no different, and was perhaps the worst.

“This week, Hiccup will be acting chief over Berk while I visit our allies the Beserkers,” Stoick cheered out. “Happy birthday son!” Stoick smiled at his son as the people of Berk showed their overwhelming excitement.

“Oh great,” Hiccup murmured. “Just what I wanted.” The Vikings nearest to Hiccup saw him and grabbed him, raising him up on their shoulders. Soon, a sea of hands was passing Hiccup along closer to the front of the hall where his father was standing, proud and tall as ever. This practice of passing always made Hiccup sick, but as usual, no one actually cared. By the time he reached the stage and shakily regained footing on solid ground, Hiccup had to hold his hand on his mouth to prevent himself from barfing. Stoick slapped him hard on the back where he stood, sending him staggering and releasing any control he had over his irritated stomach. This scene certainly did not put any more excitement in the minds of some of Berk’s skeptical residents for Hiccup’s week of reign. Hiccup tried to regain composure and smile for his fans. Stoick was certainly still having a good time, as he heartily laughed beside Hiccup.  
The birthday meal of cooked salmon, simple bread cakes, and smoked ham was soon delivered to all the people in the great hall. The people ate merrily, and Hiccup resigned himself to it as well, although he ate slower and more reluctantly than most.

“Hey, are you doing okay?” Astrid asked as she approached him with a plate of ham in her hands. She dropped down onto the table’s bench beside him and looked at him intently.

“I’m alright,” he lied. Astrid knew it probably wasn’t best to prod Hiccup at this time, so she let him be and ate quietly with him. After the meal, Hiccup was prepared a traditional mystery pie as a ‘birthday cake’. It was Viking tradition to create a strange concoction of a pie (made by the best cook in the village, who would honestly be considered a terrible cook anywhere else) that only a real Viking would be able to ingest. Expectations once again were high in this case, so Hiccup swallowed as much as he could while shuddering horribly and making strange expressions on his face all conveying a similar message of disgust. The Vikings gazed on in awe as he finished the entire pie and he gagged slightly at the last bit of after-taste. None of the Vikings had ever seen anyone down an entire mystery pie in their lives, so it was a sight for the ages. If any doubt about Hiccup’s leadership had been sown in the minds of the simple Berkians, it was destroyed instantaneously. The spectating crowd roared with applause.  
Stoick, still standing on the stage, motioned for silence and bellowed, 

“A toast! To my son Hiccup.” He raised his mug high and smiled at Hiccup.

“To Hiccup!” The crowd responded. Astrid nudged Hiccup’s arm with her elbow, making him turn his head. She put her hand around his neck and landed a kiss as he did so. The crowd continued cheering, and Hiccup smiled for the first time since Astrid was at his house. Astrid giggled slightly, however inaudibly in the noise, and pushed back a rogue strand of hair from her face. She blushed a bit and looked lovingly at her boyfriend. Hiccup could only stare back, enjoying the moment while smiling like a dork.

After the celebrations came to a close, Vikings started mingling and chatting, and eventually filtered out of the great hall and back to their homes. They were full of food and hopefulness. Hiccup was one of the first to leave, simply wanting to be alone. 

There’s no way I’m ready to be chief, he thought. I need more time. Hiccup barely looked up as he walked back home, except for the occasional passerby or dragon who wasn’t paying attention. When Hiccup got home, he walked up the staircase and into his room. The slab that Toothless slept on was empty, and Hiccup stopped in front of it to admire it. Then he looked up and out of the skylight in his roof. The stars shown brightly tonight, and a shooting star blazed across the sky. Hiccup often believed in fiction and fairytales when he was young, such as the legends of trolls, but shooting stars never really inspired him until now. He made a silent wish, and backed away from the window, shaking his head at how stupid this was.

Dreams don’t come true. Hiccup told himself. We live in a real world with real responsibilities. Time to wake up—or in the present to sleep and then wake up. With that, Hiccup dressed into his night clothes, removed his prosthetic leg and climbed into bed. Although his worries kept him up for a great deal of time, or what seemed like it, sleep eventually took him.

Sleep took him only for a while. 

It must be a couple hours past midnight, Hiccup assumed when he found himself in a pitch-black room. He had a strange feeling throughout his body, as if he was getting colder. His night clothes, which had fit him nicely when he had first put them on, now seemed much tighter around his body. The covers on his bed also seemed to not cover his one bare foot and his two legs anymore, since he felt a draft on them. Hiccup felt something odd about his toes, so he shook them. He realized he couldn’t feel one of his toes on each foot. As to which ones they were, he couldn’t tell, and didn’t much care, because he was too drowsy. He merely assumed it was because he was sleeping on it the wrong way. As for the blanket, and his night clothes, sleepy Hiccup didn’t need an explanation before falling back to sleep.

When Hiccup woke the next morning, he raised his head and groggily opened his eyes to see a night fury’s body on his bed.

“Toothless! Where am I? Did you eat me? Why did you tear up my clothes?!” Hiccup panicked as he saw torn fabric of what had been his night clothes lying on either side of the bed and on the floor around. The dragon flinched for a second. Hiccup turned his head around to see if he was inside Toothless’ mouth, but there was nothing behind him. He tried moving his hands, but as he did the dragon moved its paws. Hiccup’s jaw dropped. He needed a little more proof before he could believe it. He moved his left hand, and the dragon moved its left paw. Then the same with his right hand. He WAS the night fury! Hiccup tried to get out of bed using traditional human methods, but as would be expected from a newborn dragon hatchling he clumsily rolled off and landed on his belly with a heavy thud. Hiccup tried getting up, but it took a few attempts, as he was extremely unsteady. When one has been walking for their whole life on two legs (or in Hiccup’s case even walking on one and a half legs), it does become an interesting endeavor indeed to walk on four of them and carry a new and unexpected weight. Wait, four of them? Hiccup craned his dragon neck down to see that he indeed had a complete set of legs, unlike his human form. He blushed a bit when he realized how bare he really was in this form, but he did acknowledge in his mind that it was quite normal for a dragon. Hiccup tried moving his claws and they easily dug into the wooden floor and made a terrible creaking sound. He understandably stopped using them. He also tried moving his newly acquired tail, but when it moved, Hiccup’s weight shifted to an extreme that he was not accustomed to, and he lost his balance. He staggered everywhere around his room, trying not to bump into everything but ultimately failing. He knocked over everything on his desk and basically caused as much mess as one would see from an untrained dragon, or perhaps a tsunami. Hiccup finally gave up after several seconds of struggling and collapsed with exhaustion. The exhaustion was more from frustration than anything else. From his view low to the ground, he noticed a scratch mark on the floor directly below his snout. Everywhere he looked, in fact, was covered with scratches.

“Okay,” Hiccup breathed, “this is not how I saw today going. I hope Toothless gets back soon.”  
It wasn’t Toothless however who came first into his room. Astrid came into view, and was a bit concerned when she saw the mess.

“Whoa,” Astrid marveled, “what happened in here?” Astrid saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and noticed that Toothless was sitting on the floor, and seemed very happy to see her. His eyes were bright and his heart seemed to reach out to hers in ways that can’t be fully explained in words. It wasn’t the usual puppy dog eyes, stuck out tongue and bouncy greeting she came to enjoy from Toothless, but it was more of a ‘I’m really glad to see you because I don’t know what the heck is going on and you’re the only person I trust’ kind of happy to see you. Yup, Astrid got all that from just looking at him. She also knew Toothless would never willfully damage Hiccup’s room. Toothless carefully lifted himself off the floor and started walking shakily towards Astrid. He let so many warbles and gurgles out so fast that Astrid had to comfort him by patting him on the head.

“It’s okay Toothless, it’ll be alright,” She said softly, looking into his concerned eyes, “but making a lot of noise doesn’t help.” When she said it, something seemed to grow dark in Toothless’ face, and his ear flaps drooped slightly. Maybe he remembered something sad about Hiccup. Wait, where was Hiccup?

“Toothless, can you take me to Hiccup? Do you know where he is?” Astrid inquired, “I’m sure he will know what to do.” Toothless brightened up a bit, and tried to lift up one of his paws and perform some motion, but he was definitely in no condition to be doing anything, Astrid thought. Toothless began to lose his balance again, but this time Astrid caught his arm.

“You look like you need some rest Toothless,” Astrid remarked sympathetically while rubbing the paw she still held in her hands. “Stay here, Stormfly and I will find him using his scent.” Astrid gestured toward the torn night clothes on the floor. Toothless looked more concerned than ever, but made no sound. Toothless walked over to Hiccup’s bed and grabbed one of the torn night clothes strips with his mouth and laid it on his back. The night fury looked at Astrid hopefully, so she walked over to his side and rubbed his neck.

“I know you miss him Toothless,” Astrid said, “and I promise we’ll find him.” Toothless however looked even more dejected than before, so Astrid said her goodbyes and gave the best words of encouragement she could think of before leaving to find the missing Viking.  
Hiccup was disappointed, but not surprised as Astrid turned to leave. He sat up on his rear, letting his tail support him and his hind-legs sprawl in front of him. He sighed and considered his predicament. How was he supposed to convince anyone that he turned into a dragon? It was just so unbelievably outlandish, even though he knew it himself to be true. What was worse is that she couldn’t even understand him. To top it off, Hiccup’s new dragon form looked almost identical to Toothless. 

Maybe when Astrid realizes that Hiccup’s trail leads to me, and sees both Toothless and I she will know, Hiccup reasoned. But then she might think that I’ve eaten Hiccup, so I’m probably going to need more proof. Hiccup knew what he needed to do, but his writing utensils and charcoal had been destroyed during his accidental stampede around his room. He stared at them, wondering where he could find more. Maybe Gobber’s workshop was worth a shot.  
Something made Hiccup’s ear flaps shoot up before he could follow through with his plan, however. There was a familiar padding sound coming from outside. He could hear three pairs of legs walking. Two of them were as regular in their intervals as a ticking clock. they also were as frequent in their sounding as a horse but softer in their impact. This sound was definitely Toothless. The other switched between a hard impact and a soft impact with every step, and occurred at irregularly spaced intervals. Definitely a peg-leg human. More specifically, Gobber.

“Welp,” Gobber breathed from an unseen place that Hiccup could only assume was the doorway to his house, “in you go Toothless. No running off now.” Something creaked, the two pairs of legs sounded off again, and then another creak and a single slam of wood against wood could be heard. The other pair of legs could be heard now, but they became quieter until the sound disappeared. Hiccup decided to take this moment to approach the head of the staircase, and take a peek at who was below. His movements made creaks on the floor however, and the dragon, who had started making his own way to the staircase, looked up and gasped in shock. His jaw dropped and his eyes fixed on his twin.

“Uh,” Hiccup stammered, “hey there bud.” Hiccup decided to slowly reveal himself to Toothless, since the surprise of having a doppelganger who turned out to actually be your transformed best friend might not be easy to take in all at once.

“You’re a night fury,” Toothless marveled, “I thought I was the only one. How is it possible?”

“It’s a long story bud,” Hiccup remarked to his astonished friend.

“Also, why do you keep calling me bud?”

“I call my friends that sometimes, I’m sorry bu—I mean Toothless.”

“How do you know my name?”

“Oh man, so uh, funny story actually. I know your friend Hiccup.”

“What did you do to him?!” Toothless bared his teeth and growled at him.

“No, no no no, I didn’t do anything to him. I just want to help you find him. Come upstairs, there are some things you need to see, and smell.” Toothless couldn’t believe that he found himself trusting this strange night fury, but there was nothing more important to him than finding Hiccup, so he made the ascent up the stairs slowly. What he saw in Hiccup's room made his jaw drop once again. The room looked worse than ever, with charcoal marks across walls and on the floor, and claw marks littered on every square foot of walking space. The light from the window shone in on something else on the floor, and Toothless approached to investigate. He took a few thoughtful sniffs of some pieces of torn clothes. He followed Hiccup’s trail from the clothes to the bed, and then the floor, then around the room, and finally to 2 pairs of dragon legs that belonged to the mysterious night fury. He was full of Hiccup’s scent. If there was one thing Toothless trusted most, it was his sense of smell. Also Hiccup. Toothless brought his head up to the eyes of his night fury friend, and squinted tightly to look at them. Toothless took a bit of time to form his next word, and it came out weakly.

“Hiccup?” Toothless asked.

“Yes, bud?” Hiccup replied. Like a light switch, Toothless’ expression immediately snapped to puppy mode, and he tackled his friend. Hiccup was on his back now, with Toothless standing atop him and licking him as quickly as if he was having a popsicle-eating competition. Hiccup still wasn’t quite used to his new legs yet, so he was easy prey for a playful dragon like Toothless. Toothless patted him on the face repeatedly like an overgrown kitten, and Hiccup attempted to do the same. Toothless then jumped off Hiccup, bounced off the walls like a bunny, and basically ran amok for the next few moments. From his position on his back, Hiccup had to crane his neck to see Toothless' antics, and he smiled when he saw him. Hiccup could remember the last time Toothless acted like this. It was when Hiccup awoke from his coma that had took him during the battle with the red death. When Toothless slowed down his rampage of joy, he noticed that Hiccup was struggling as he was trying to get up off his back.

“I got you,” Toothless said as he pushed him over with his head. “take it nice and easy Hiccup.”

“Thanks bud,” Hiccup exhaled. “you always have my back. Metaphorically, and sometimes literally.”

“Oh, and when you want to turn over,” Toothless commented, “just remember that shifting your weight is usually your best option. But you’ll get the hang of it little guy.” Toothless booped Hiccup on the snout with his claw, and Hiccup went cross-eyed for a second, crumpling his nose a bit to remove the sensation. 

“Wait, little guy?” Hiccup remarked, with a slightly annoyed tone in his voice.

“Yeah,” Toothless replied. “I call you that almost as much as you call me ‘bud’.”

“I had no idea dragons could communicate like this.”

“Well, not all of us can. Night furies, nadders, gronkles, and a few others are the only ones that can speak a complicated language. We just call it Dragonorse, after your people’s language.”

“Did you ever think about calling it Dragonese? It kinda sounds better in my honest opinion.”

“Sounds like something Cressie would have come up with.”

“Who’s Cressie?”

“Her real name was Cressida, she was a friend of mine from the nest.”

“How did you come upon that nest anyway? Where did you come from originally?”

“I was just a lonely traveler, ever since I was little just wandering from place to place. My parents died by the hand of a Viking. I saw it all happen. A young man, not so much older than yourself now was standing over my father, drugged to sleep on the ground, and he killed him where he slept. My mother decided that the only way to save me was to sacrifice herself, since the man would not likely search for a baby night fury. So she faced the man, and--- well that was a long time ago.”

“I’m sorry bud, no one should have to go through that.”

“Thanks, and it’s alright. It’s in the past. Besides, if it never happened then I would never have met you little guy.” With those words he slapped Hiccup playfully between the eyes with his paw. Hiccup flinched slightly from the surprise. Suddenly, Hiccup and Toothless’ ears perked up, and both of them turned their heads to the staircase. Astrid stood at the entrance to Hiccup’s room, and was staring at a baffling sight. She had come back to grab a piece of torn cloth to track Hiccup, and she expected to see only one night fury. One very sad and dejected Toothless still wobbling around in Hiccup’s room. Now, however, there were two night furies!? She noticed immediately that both had different looks in their eyes, even though their outward appearance was exactly the same. One of them reminded her of Hiccup as she had been staring, but she disregarded that thought quickly. The two Toothlesses stood motionless for a few seconds and stared back at their quiet viewer. Then, they gave each other a quick glance. The Toothless on the right trotted over to Astrid and gave her a heavy face lick. He panted, smiled, and made as much sound as possible for Astrid as she stooped on one knee and rubbed his chin with care.  
“Toothless,” She finally said, “who is your friend here?” She looked at the other night fury, who was now smiling awkwardly in her direction. Toothless looked at the floor for a moment, deep in thought perhaps, and then brightened up considerably. He practically skipped across the room, looking for something. When he found the object of his desire he carried in his mouth and dropped it at Astrid’s feet. It made a metal and wooden sound when it fell on the floor. It was Hiccup’s leg. Astrid looked confused still, as she stooped down to get a better look. When she realized what it was, she still did not understand, so Toothless grabbed the prosthetic in his mouth again and tossed it into the air. Its path landed it directly in front of the other night fury. The other night fury looked down at it with a half-smile, and grabbed the top end of it with his paw. He then pretended to use it like a cane, holding it so that it held up his weight. Astrid gasped. She pushed herself off her knees and curiously tip-toed toward him. Toothless watched from the sidelines with a happy heart.  
“Hiccup?” She inquired as she tilted her head slightly to the side and squinted at him. The dragon nodded.


	2. Vacation

Astrid carefully reached out her hand to feel the scales on his face. Hiccup responded by pushing his head into her hand and shutting his eyes for a moment to enjoy the warmth of it. There was no need for words, and there was no way for them to communicate reliably, so they simply enjoyed one another’s company for what seemed like several minutes. Suddenly, Astrid bent down and sprang forward, hugging Hiccup’s neck. Hiccup pushed himself up onto his tail, so he could use his forearms to return the embrace as she continued clinging to him. Astrid’s feet might have left the floor a bit, but she didn’t seem to mind. Something brushed against Hiccup’s scaly cheek, and he immediately realized that she had kissed him, although he couldn’t see it from his position. It made his expression bend into a smile, and as a result, the urge to hug tighter kicked in. But not too tight, Hiccup reminded himself. He closed his eyes and rested his head on her back.  
After a long embrace, Hiccup looked up to his best friend, smiling, and said, 

“Thanks for the help bud.” Toothless simply smiled, showing all of his gums. The arms around his neck slid off, and Astrid traced her fingers along the edge of his torso, onto his arms, and then over his paws. She grabbed the nearest available claw on both paws and held them for a moment. She looked into his eyes with a warm look in hers. She smiled lightly. Hiccup fixed his eyes on her nose, and moved his head in closer so he almost touched her. He carefully slipped out a part of his tongue, playfully licking her nose.

“So, what now?” Astrid inquired as her face grew more serious and Hiccup pulled his head back from her. “Hiccup, this is a huge complication. Not just for you, but for all the people of Berk. Your father is leaving this morning to visit the Beserkers. Not to mention you are supposed to be acting chief for the week that he’s gone. Berk needs a leader.” Astrid could see the look of doubt in that last statement in Hiccup’s expression as he looked off to the side. “You’re the only person I know who is able to do this, and you know it.” It dawned on Astrid that perhaps Hiccup could not understand her, so she asked and he nodded in reply. She imagined that this sudden transformation was not completely unwelcome to Hiccup, since he had shown quite a bit of distaste toward the idea of stepping up as chief, even if it was temporary. The dragons and the human stood contemplating in the room for a while. 

No one in all of Berk will ever be convinced that a dragon is actually the chief’s son, so talking to Gobber or Stoick is not an option, Hiccup pondered.

“No one will ever believe that a dragon is actually the chief’s son,” Astrid commented, “especially not your father or Gobber. So that isn’t an option.” Hiccup arched an eyebrow, marveling at Astrid’s insight. 

“In fact,” Astrid added, “Stoick would probably kill you because he would assume you ate his son, especially if we show him the torn clothes and the scratch marks in this place.” She made an exaggerated sweeping motion gesturing to the entirety of the room. Hiccup hadn’t thought of this possibility. In his defense, waking up as a dragon is a bit of a distraction to a normal train of thought. He nodded in agreement and let out a sigh that sounded more like a sad throaty warble than he expected. 

“Even if we keep you both separated so people don’t get suspicious of two identical night furies,” Astrid reasoned, “the claw marks and clothes in Hiccup’s room will be a Viking funeral for either of you, since the claw marks match both of you. The only option is for you guys to run away.” Toothless’ smile died away completely now, and Hiccup looked at Astrid with a questioning expression on his face. 

“I’m sorry guys,” she apologized, “it’s the best idea I have, and it’s your best chance. But it’s totally up to you guys. I’ll give you some time to talk.” As Astrid walked away and then descended the stairs, Hiccup turned to face Toothless.

“What do you think bud?” Hiccup questioned.

“I think she’s right, little guy,” Toothless replied, “your people hunted dragons for years, so what will stop them from killing us when all this evidence suggests we murdered one of their own, with no Hiccup to be found?”

“You’re right bud. It’s time to disappear. Man I’m going to miss her, and Berk. Despite the crazy residents, this place is home.”

“You know little guy, I would say this is the first place I would call home. But it’s more than just a place, it’s you and Astrid who make it my home.”

“Thanks, Toothless, I don’t know if it would be a home worth living in without you in it too.” Toothless, overwhelmed by puppy-like emotions, ran forward to his friend and gave him a neck hug. Not long after, Toothless exited the embrace and turned to face the doorway. He walked to the precipice of the staircase and warbled at something below, presumably Astrid. She climbed the stairs and asked them if they had made their decision. Toothless and Hiccup glanced at each other and nodded in agreement. Toothless gave Astrid a warm goodbye warble, and then walked down the stairs to let Hiccup have a moment alone with her. Astrid and Hiccup approached each other. Hiccup wished that he could tell her how much he was going to miss her, and how much he loved her. But to her, all his words became a gloomy rumble. He gazed at her, and then glanced at the floor with sorrow in his draconic eyes. She understood.

“I’m going to miss you too, Hiccup,” she told him, “and someday, some way, I know we will see each other again.” Hiccup’s eyes brightened just a bit and focused on hers. There were a few tears falling quickly from them, and Astrid pulled Hiccup’s head into her embrace. She laid her head onto his, sighing slightly. She moved back, and brought Hiccup’s head up to hers. They held their heads together, and then Hiccup hugged her one last time. Once all the proper goodbyes had been had, they walked to the back door of Hiccup’s house and stood for a moment in the field together, regarding one another with heartfelt looks in their eyes. Toothless roared, whirled away from the house, ran towards the forest, and hopped off the ground, using his wings to carry him a bit farther before falling to the grass again. Hiccup slowly turned to leave, and made one final glance at Astrid. He tried to say something meaningful, but then he remembered the solemn truth hit him once again that she could not understand him. With great difficulty, Hiccup tried flying into the air, but ended up flat on his belly in his grass. In this new dragon form however, the impact was quite dulled compared to what it would be for a human, and Hiccup found himself enjoying the feel of the grass for a second before standing up. Toothless looked back to see Hiccup struggling, so he turned around, clawed at the ground to stop his momentum, and sprang back to Hiccup’s side.

“Looks like you’re running to the forest, little guy,” Toothless observed, “once we get to a safe place, I’ll try to teach you how to fly.”

“Sounds better than belly flopping on grass in front of my girlfriend,” Hiccup mused. With that, the dragons galloped together across the fields of Berk, careful to avoid the attention of any Vikings. When the winds kicked up, and Hiccup lost his balance, he found himself instinctively spreading his wings to steady himself. It worked pretty well, until the wind caught up in his wings and started dragging him backwards. Toothless managed to catch Hiccup’s paw with his gums, to keep him from sliding further.

“Try not to use your wings too much for right now little guy,” Toothless remarked with worry written on his face as Hiccup retracted his wings. “I’m not going to lose you again.” With that, they continued running. Toothless would often check on his friend as they did. Hiccup still had trouble running, but he was starting to get the hang of his new legs. With the salty smell of the sea in the air, and the sound of galloping dragons, and the feel of the wind whipping around them, Hiccup finally fell to trying to comprehend recent events. However hard he wondered, he could not bring to mind any good logical explanation for how he became a dragon. He imagined it perhaps was all a dream, and that he would wake up soon, but his attempts to will himself awake fell as flat as a night fury belly flopping in a meadow. As the woods beyond became increasingly close, Hiccup decided to bump into a tree to see if that would waken him. With all his speed, and with Toothless slightly distracted from his running by a passing butterfly, Hiccup charged straight on into a medium-sized tree about as wide as his new head. 

Hiccup opened his eyes, but he did not see the familiar bed below him, nor Toothless sleeping peacefully on his stone slab. He appeared to be in a forest, standing in front of a tree.

“Well that was stupid,” Hiccup murmured to himself as he shook his head slightly from the shock. He felt very little pain, just a small tingle in his head. The tree however, groaned in anguish and keeled over on the ground. It brushed a few other trees, bending and snapping their branches as it went. A black dot appeared out of the corner of Hiccup’s eye. Hiccup turned to see Toothless, staring from him and then to the tree with his eyes raised. Toothless was quite befuddled at the behavior of his friend no doubt.

“Are you okay, little guy?” Toothless gently inquired.

“I’m fine Toothless,” Hiccup responded, “I just keep thinking this should be a dream. I shouldn’t be a dragon at all, but here I am with ear flaps and all. It just feels so strange, no offense bud.”

“None taken. I hope you like being dragon in all honesty. It’s nice to have another night fury to talk to.”

“Thanks bud. I have my doubts that I will ever be human again, so we might as well make the best of it.” Since they were on the outskirts of the forest now, Hiccup and Toothless reduced their pace to a slow trot as they continued their journey. The forest was not incredibly dense, but it was uneven in some places. Maneuvering around the rocky ledges and cliffs proved no problem for Toothless however. He showed Hiccup how to jump, and maneuver around all the obstacles they encountered together. Neither of them found any reason to avoid them, since Hiccup needed training anyway. The irony in it was extremely obvious, but Toothless was enjoying it quite a bit, even if it did feel a tad strange. Hiccup was a fast learner when under sudden pressure, and today was no different. His walking skills improved very quickly over the course of their day’s journey. They climbed boulders and trees of varying thicknesses, just so Hiccup could learn how and grow comfortable with his abilities. Some of the trees they practiced climbing snapped, resulting in a bundle of scales and limbs tumbling to the ground. But each time, both dragons got up with renewed enthusiasm and smiles on their faces. It became a sport of sorts, to see which one of them could ascend farther up the same tree without breaking it. Once atop the highest part of a tree, assuming it didn’t break, one dragon would try to slap the other, hoping to cause them to lose balance and fall. There wasn’t a lot of talking involved at this point. Hiccup enjoyed that freedom he had always had with Toothless in human form that he often didn’t need to say anything. He was glad to see it carried over to dragon form as well.

After a few hours of playing, the sun shown through the trees directly above them. There was no hurry, no responsibility and no worries in the world that could have dwindled their moments. Their ultimate goal was to reach the cove by the end of the day, but it was not far away now, and they still had plenty of time. Toothless glanced at Hiccup, a smile in his eyes. Hiccup returned the glance, and displayed the same expression as his dragon companion, but it quickly diminished as he remembered Astrid and Berk. However, it wasn’t long until his happiness returned to him, since the recollection of Stoick’s previous day’s announcement returned to him. He was to be acting a chief, but here he was, with Toothless, throwing all of it to the wind and playing to his heart’s content. This was the kind of life he had hoped for. Then it hit him, maybe the previous day was the answer to his questions. He thought back to the moment when he was about to go back to sleep, when he wished upon the shooting star for the fun of it. His face must have looked very deep in thought, so Toothless stayed quiet and merely tilted his head a bit in curiosity.

“I know this is going to sound crazy bud,” Hiccup stated, “but I think this happened because I made a wish.”

“What kind of wish?” Toothless questioned, tilting his head even more.

“I wished that I could be free like you,” Hiccup admitted, “but I think the gods misunderstood.”

“Maybe you’ve been given this opportunity for a reason.”

“Maybe, but I’m just glad I won’t have to be chief for the week. All that planning and running a village just isn’t for me bud.”

“I suppose it must be a relief, but your people need you. I’m not sure how they will survive without a leader like you. But I know you won’t agree. Don’t worry, I will follow you no matter what happens little guy.”

“Thanks, Toothless.” Soon, the worries of these troubling things melted away once again as Toothless tackled Hiccup and sent them both rolling into a little clearing in the forest. Toothless also made sure that his companion was covered in slobber once they came to a stop in the grass, much to Hiccup’s chagrin. 

“Toothless you know that doesn’t wa---” Hiccup stopped himself as he realized he had no clothes to wash anyway. The saying was a force of habit he supposed. After a good dose of licking, now going both ways in some cases, the two friends panted on the ground, letting out chuckles when they had breath. They simply laid in the grass side by side for quite some time together. When they regained their strength, they discovered that hunger had set in like an earthquake. 

“We should probably head over to the cove to get something to eat bud,” Hiccup commented with an unexplained excitement that he had never felt before about consuming food, and it was only rivaled by his doppelganger. “what do you say?” No verbal answer was needed, as Toothless bolted in the direction of the cove, tail flailing a bit behind him. 

“Hey Toothless wait up!” Hiccup complained. It was fun to challenge to Toothless, since he was always a good sport, even when winning was pretty much a guarantee for any physical exercise when facing off against a human. However, things were different this time, so Hiccup sprinted after the mighty night fury, and soon caught up with him. They maintained a very similar speed and stayed next to each other for a few seconds. Just when one thought he was winning, the other gained a new boost of speed to close the distance between them. After passing a large rock, Hiccup glanced over to check if his night fury friend was still beside him. Toothless was nowhere to be seen! Hiccup had to do a double-take before he planted all fours on the ground and leaned back, bringing himself to a sudden halt. He looked to the left, then to the right, and finally in the direction of the cove. No night furies in sight. Hiccup decided to retrace his steps, and upon coming to the rock that he had passed, he noticed the footprints of Toothless ended at its base.

“Oh gosh, I wonder where that dragon could be,” he called out with obvious sarcasm into the forest. Hiccup jumped onto the rock, and spied the other side of it from his position. 

That’s funny, Toothless isn’t here, he thought to himself immediately before hearing a creaking noise in the trees above him. He whirled around, looked upward and was knocked off the rock. When Hiccup landed on the ground, he saw Toothless looking down at him, seemingly quite proud of his trickster skills.

“Did I surprise you?” Toothless questioned happily.

“You did bud,” Hiccup replied, “you sure did. That was a good one Toothless.” Hiccup was always a good sport, and could take a good joke, especially from Toothless, so they both soon continued their race to the cove at break neck speeds with smiles on their faces and tongues stupidly flying behind them in the wind. Hiccup was beginning to see why Toothless acted so excited all the time. Life for a dragon was just plain fun, and besides, with all this energy, one would need to expend it somehow.  
When the duo of dorky dragons happened upon their destination, they sat down by the edge of the cove’s little lake, panting and lapping up its cool, refreshing water. Hiccup had never drunk river water straight from the source before, so this was a bit of a different experience for him. But since there was no other way to drink effectively and satisfy his seemingly unquenchable draconic thirst, he stooped and drank anyway. When he stopped licking the water’s surface, he paused for a moment to stare at it. A slightly warped night fury stared back. Hiccup was a bit stunned, and the warped night fury’s jaw dropped a bit. Even though he knew he was a night fury, Hiccup still had not been able to observe how extremely similar his features were to Toothless’. Everything looked exactly like him, everything from the flaps to the very scales on his face. Hiccup on numerous occasions drew his best friend with his charcoal pencils, so he had a very solid idea of what Toothless’ face looked like. Hiccup grinned to himself. Even in this form he was still Hiccup, but it fascinated him that he and Toothless looked so much alike. He began to wonder what Toothless would look like in human form. 

I suppose Toothless turning into a human isn’t complete nonsense, Hiccup reasoned in his mind, because of recent events and all.  
It was probably useless to think of these things, but both night furies had a lot of time to kill, and neither had any intention of heading back to Berk anytime soon. It seemed hardly possible, but as Hiccup instinctively checked the sun, it showed itself to be about 4 hours past mid-day. This time however, no one actually cared about the sun’s position. Hiccup tried to recall some of the wonderful responsibilities he was missing out on, such as listening to villager complaints and settling disputes for about half a day. It did burden him so to not be able to partake.  
After a good long drink, the two night furies spent the rest of the day romping around the cove. Hiccup could have thought of no better way to spend his day, other than for Astrid to join them. The best friends could have played for days on end, but soon the time came for them to rest from the day’s events. Since Hiccup had not yet learned how to spew fire, and because Toothless was in the mood for a more traditional night fury sleeping method, they settled for tail-hang sleeping. Hiccup had always wanted to try this. After a climb, the two of them walked out on a steady branch. They turned themselves perpendicular with it, and Toothless showed Hiccup how to rap his tail around the wood firmly. Then Toothless dropped down, letting his body hang by his tail, and waited for Hiccup to do the same. In human form it would have been very uncomfortable, but Hiccup found it rather relaxing to hang upside-down from the tree by his new appendage. The infinite stars seemed to become his resting place, and the sand below became his roofing. Once they rapped themselves in their own wings, sleep took them quickly. At last, Hiccup had nothing to keep him awake at night, and he slept soundly, as did his companion.


	3. Reunion

Back in the village of Berk, a prank war had begun after Stoick left for Berserker island. The prank war, of course, was started by the devious twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut, who both always seemed to know how to cause frequent annoyances. One could not walk out of their house before finding eels in their washing tubs. Come to think of it, Vikings didn’t use washing tubs much anyway, so that was the least of their concerns. Catapults, buckets, and other contraptions set by a tripwire outside of doors caused the most havoc. They released loads of fish upon their victims, and no one was spared from these calamities. Some Berkians took it very seriously, while others did not. Those who did not joined the twins and helped them find new ways to prank the other citizens of Berk. With new members of course, the twins resorted to more and more dangerous pranks to keep the people entertained. Astrid was probably the most annoyed with these games, and even thought about joining in the prank retaliation effort. She held herself back however by remembering what Hiccup would say, something along the lines of “getting involved will only extend the conflict”. Astrid admired the fact that Hiccup could withstand so much crap from people and still remain almost unmoved by them. It was something she secretly hoped to achieve someday. She missed Hiccup, but she also seemed to be the only one who noticed he was gone. In all the excitement from the prank war, the Vikings seemed to forget that Hiccup was supposed to lead them. With Stoick and Hiccup both gone, no one could keep the order in the little village. Every man, woman and child was joining up in the prank war. Except Astrid. 

Astrid was in her room tonight. The sun was going down, but the sound of shouting villagers was not. She laid in bed, keeping on her day clothes, just in case some pesky villager tried to break in and set up her house with some ridiculous trap. Stormfly was safely in her stable, but Astrid kept it securely locked tonight just in case. Astrid was staring at the ceiling of her bed, desperately wanting to fall asleep, but finding she could not. For one, her instinct to defend herself was fierce as ever and it could keep her awake for days. But secondly, she found herself missing something. She regretted recommending that Hiccup should leave. Maybe the other Berkians wouldn’t have even noticed if he had stayed, Astrid wondered. She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but she felt that she would never see Hiccup again. Her vision grew blurry for a second and she wiped at her eyes. She grabbed something off the floor by the side of her bed and rubbed it fondly as a stubborn tear persisted and trickled down her cheek. It was Hiccup’s leg. She had grabbed it out of his house after he left, so she could always remember him, in case, well, he never came back. She eyed it thoughtfully and examined its workings. 

“I wish I could be with you Hiccup,” she softly cried. It wasn’t often that Astrid found herself emotional over anything, since she tried her best to ignore such feelings, but without Hiccup she felt as if a part of her was gone. Something caught her eye coming from her window. It was a shooting star.

A few hours later, the shouting of the villagers continued, but with less enthusiasm. The night was quiet besides this however, and it brought with it a deep loneliness to Astrid’s heart. It was midnight now, but Astrid still kept alert in case of danger. Although she did desire a restful sleep, the shouting continued to force her to stay on guard. On numerous occasions, she found herself getting out of bed and pacing the room with her thoughts. Sometimes she would venture a peek out of her window to survey the area. If a man’s home is his castle, then Astrid’s home was her fortress. She was already extremely tired of the situation that Berk had found itself in. Astrid suddenly stopped her pacing. Something smelled odd. Before she could figure out what she smelled however, the floor of her house burst into flames. Not missing a second to think, Astrid leapt out of her window and somersaulted onto the grass below. She looked back and watched in horror as her whole house burned to the ground. Astrid heard chuckling, and immediately after saw the twins fleeing away in the shadows with their two-headed dragon following close behind. She cursed them under her breath. She ultimately made the decision to find Hiccup. He was the only one who could stop this madness, even if he was a dragon. Astrid ran to her stable to free Stormfly. Her dragon shrilled with relief as she saw her. 

“Come on Stormfly, we’re going to find Hiccup,” she commanded. Stormfly didn’t need to be told twice. She also wished nothing more than to escape Berk at this moment. She hopped next to her human, and Astrid mounted her two-legged dragon promptly. 

“Let’s go,” Astrid whispered into her dragon’s ear. Stormfly immediately jumped and flew into the air, her wings carrying them both away quickly from the chaotic village. No one noticed their hasty departure however, as they were far too distracted by the happenings of ground level. The cold wind whipped against Astrid’s face, but it almost seemed to her as if it was colder than usual. She looked at her hands, and noticed that they had gone pale. She rubbed them together thoroughly and breathed into them. Then she remembered what she was sitting on, so she slipped her hands under the saddle against her dragon’s warm scales and found instant relief. She sighed lightly, although the rest of her body still shivered. Astrid knew exactly where Hiccup would be, so she directed Stormfly to the cove. As they were approaching the cove from the air, Astrid began to feel a tightness gripping around her. She brought Stormfly down in the midst of the cove and dismounted quickly. Stormfly let out a worried screech for her best friend, and Astrid could’ve sworn she heard a soft female voice murmuring something.

“Who’s there?” Astrid called out demandingly. No answer. During her time of scanning the area, she noticed Hiccup and Toothless hanging by their tails from a nearby branch, peacefully sleeping.

“Okay, that’s actually kinda cute,” Astrid observed. Suddenly, her clothes squeezed the breath out of her, and she coughed for air. She fell on her knees, and clawed at the ground in pain. She tried to stand back up, but as she did so, she tripped over her own foot. Her boots slipped off her feet as it happened. Astrid landed on her back with a grunt. She craned her neck, a bit more than usual, to examine her bare feet in the pale moonlight. To her surprise, no feet existed, but in their places were large white legs with 4 claws protruding from their ends. Astrid gasped, and brought her hands up to check them as well. She saw two white paws come up to her face. Astrid tried to stand up once more. However, her new legs made it impossible, and she fell back down to the ground. Panting from the struggling, Astrid laid still for a moment, looking up at the stars.

“This is what I get for making a wish,” she remarked to herself. Almost immediately afterwards, Astrid cringed when she heard a loud tearing sound, but felt relief as the pressure around her body diminished entirely. She breathed a deep breath, and tried to right herself again. However, something was blocking her from doing so. She looked down, and saw that a large white tapered object had emerged. It was a tail! She used it for a while, fascinated. She swung it back and forth, feeling the sand rub against it. Despite the sudden changes, Astrid adapted quickly, and found herself more curious than frightened by her new form at its onset. She tried moving her claws, legs, and paws and soon figured out how to right herself again.

“Are you okay?” the feminine voice called once more. Astrid, now turned over onto her belly, turned her head in the direction of the sound and widened her eyes in shock. Stormfly, her dragon, opened her mouth and spoke to Astrid. 

“Can you understand me?” She asked inquisitively while using one eye to examine her transformed friend.

“You can talk now?” Astrid gaped.

“I’ve always talked, silly. So, you do understand me!” Stormfly’s face brightened up considerably.

“Yeah, and now I know how Hiccup turned into a dragon.”

“Isn’t it wonderful? You two are both dragons now, and you can be together!”

“What? No, we’re not together really, we’re just friends.”

“I may be a dragon, but I still know when two creatures really care about each other. I’ve seen the way you look at him.”

“In your dreams. So, what about you? Have you fallen for that tall, dark and handsome night fury?”

“Toothless? Nah. He’s cool, and fun to hang around, but it wouldn’t work out.”

“So, what now?” Astrid began to take on an excited expression, which was quite rare for her.

“How about we surprise the boys when they wake up? I really want to see their reaction to you in complete honesty,” Stormfly giggled.

“Yeah,” Astrid agreed, adding with a slight smirk, “Hiccup will probably start studying me as a new species of dragon immediately.”  
Astrid looked towards the small pond in the middle of the cove. The moonlight glistened on its surface. She walked several paces, and gazed directly into the slightly rippled sheet. A beautiful white dragon laid below, looking up at her. Its eyes were blue, and the pupils were gently rounded at the moment. Its head was more smooth than Toothless’, and the scales were hard to notice because of their pale coloring. Its brow furrowed, examining the specimen above the water. Its head tilted slightly, and its ear flap flicked to relieve a sensation. As the dragons examined each other, they began to notice sparkly bits they shared along their forms, and it enamored them. Astrid suddenly imagined Hiccup’s reaction to seeing her in such a beautiful form as this. It brought pleasure, but it still seemed so hard to believe it was real. Astrid quickly remembered something, and arched her neck below her belly to check between her hind legs. Thankfully, what she saw relieved her fears (although I will leave the reader to decipher what it was). With that discovery however, a new fear dawned on the lovely glittery dragoness. In most respects, Astrid was quite excited to see Hiccup’s reaction, and tell him who she was, but she was a tiny bit concerned about her apparent lack of clothing. Also, the fact that she was what appeared to be a white female night fury, which was the same species as Hiccup’s dragon form, made her even more uncomfortable with this setup. However, she couldn’t resist seeing him. After all, this was what she had hoped for. 

Hiccup probably isn’t turned on by dragons anyway, Astrid reasoned. She continued to justify it in her mind until she convinced herself it was all true. Decidedly, Astrid and Stormfly grabbed Astrid’s torn clothes and placed them in a hiding spot far from the sleeping night furies. Afterwards, they covered their own tracks and hid themselves. The two dragonesses fell asleep slowly, blissfully dreaming of the surprise on the faces of two night furies.  
The next morning in the cove, Hiccup groggily opened his eyes and clapped his mouth lazily. He looked down, seeing his body dangling in the air from a piece of wood, and a puzzled visage took control. He rubbed his eyes with his paws and took another peek. Realization came to him, and he released his tail from the wood that it entangled. He spread his wings a bit, allowing a safe but slow glide to the soft sand below. The sand was cold, but it felt surprisingly wonderful between his claws. He stretched his legs as far they would reach, yawning in the process. When these rituals came to their conclusion, he examined his surroundings. Birds peacefully chirped and chatted, although their distance was inestimable. Hiccup’s eyes scanned the cove until they landed on a familiar form. Toothless, deep in thought, was facing opposite Hiccup and was sitting on his tail. His tail swished about absentmindedly, and his head was arched to view something on the ground. Hiccup sat adjacent to his friend, making soft noises to gently notify the concentrated night fury of his presence. Toothless glanced over to him for a second, and then looked at the sand, and continued some scribbles in it with his claw. It took a few minutes, and Hiccup had to often crane his head to see. When Toothless was finished, he had drawn two night furies sitting next to one another. The two remained silent for some time, eyeing the details of the lines in the sand thoughtfully.

“I’m really glad you’re a dragon now,” Toothless remarked to break the silence. “I like you in both forms little guy, but dragon Hiccup is a lot of fun.” 

“Thanks, Toothless. It’s nice being a dragon,” Hiccup declared. “and I would like you in any form bud.” Toothless’ eyes widened as he looked at his friend longingly.

“What?” Hiccup inquired, wondering what Toothless was up to.

“I just,” Toothless blubbered.

“Bring it in, bud.” They hugged and stood glued to each other for the longest time.

“It’s nice to have a friend like you,” Toothless declared.

“You too, bud,” Hiccup acknowledged. “Now will you quit pouting, big baby boo?” Hiccup rubbed Toothless’ head with his paw, as if he had hair to be tussled. Toothless looked as annoyed as you would expect, rolled his eyes, and launched himself into Hiccup. They went rolling and tumbling once more. Many tail slaps, trips, and paw smacks ensued. This kind of entertainment never bored Toothless, even before Hiccup was transformed, and it sometimes bugged Hiccup a bit. But now, with wings and tail flailing about in the air like wet noodles, Hiccup grew to enjoy Toothless’ antics. During a roll, Hiccup managed to pin Toothless down to the ground by his shoulders and observed his victory with triumph in his eyes. Before Toothless could respond however, both dragon’s ears caught an unexpected sound. Hiccup stepped off of Toothless slowly, allowing the other night fury to right himself. Both dragons stood attentive, listening carefully for the slightest sound. It was quiet, but a night fury’s ears were keen indeed. They heard shouting in the distance, but couldn’t make out words as of yet. It must have been a search party looking for Hiccup, or perhaps angry Berkians coming to kill Toothless, who they probably had assumed by now had eaten the poor Viking lad. Whatever their intentions, the dragons didn’t care to find out. When the night furies turned around to vacate the area in the opposite direction of the incoming humans, they stopped in their tracks almost immediately. Just ahead, a white night fury dragon stood watching them. It sat on its haunches, and appeared to be smiling at them. Toothless and Hiccup eyed each other for a moment questioningly. The white beauty seemed as if it would have blushed if it could. It was a girl dragon, Hiccup began to realize. Toothless, however, had already realized this fact the instant he had seen her. Something about her seemed familiar, but no one spoke for a long time. Luckily, the sound of the search party died off, but of course the dorky duo and the lovely lady were too distracted to notice this.

“Wow,” Hiccup breathed.

“Another one?” Toothless spoke in awe to Hiccup. To the lady, he said feebly, “how’s it going?” Toothless put on his best smile for her. Hiccup however, had noticed something else in her. He began to slowly approach the white dragoness, as she met his gaze intently. Once they were almost close enough to touch, Hiccup stopped and sat up on his tail, copying her posture. She made a happy sigh, and he gave one as well. Hiccup quickly snapped himself out of it however, and shook his head violently. He stared at the ground, ashamed of his betrayal of Astrid. A white dragon paw reached under his chin, and brought his head up. The dragoness licked him gently between the eyes. The Night Fury still stared mostly at the ground however. The lady, saddened, finally spoke to him.

“There’s someone else, isn’t there?” She remarked.

“Yeah,” He answered, “I shouldn’t betray her. She’s one of the best.”

“I’m sorry, and I understand. You’re very loyal, and I think she appreciates that.”

“How would you know?”

“Well, for starters she’s standing right in front of you.” With that she licked him again.

“Astrid! I’m so glad you’re here, but how did this happen?”

“I made a wish. I’m guessing that’s how you became a dragon too?”

“Yeah. You have no idea how glad I am to see you.”

“I thought I would never see you again.” Astrid suddenly scooched up close to Hiccup, and embraced him, letting her paws rest on his chest. Hiccup returned the hug, and gave her a lick on the forehead. They both stood in each other’s arms for a while, simply savoring the fact that they were together once more. They wanted nothing more than for this moment to last as long as it could. Hiccup finally pulled back a bit, grasping her elbows sweetly and becoming lost in her glowing and infinite blue eyes. They nestled their heads together for a moment, and finally released each other from loving captivity. It was then that they remembered Toothless, and they looked over to him. Toothless was simply watching quietly. He smiled lightly; his eyes glowing. A familiar screech echoed through the cove, and the gang turned their heads skyward to see Stormfly coming down to them. She landed next to Toothless.

“I suppose we have a bit of explaining to do,” Stormfly declared, getting straight to the point. “Astrid’s house burned down because of a stupid prank war, so we flew here to find you, and then she turned into a dragon. After that happened, we decided to sleep here and surprise you guys. I waited outside the cove though, since I would be seen way too easily, and the surprise would have been ruined.”

“Wait hold on,” Hiccup asked with alarm, “Astrid’s house burned down? A prank war?”

“Yeah, but we got out of there quick. Those human twins have been wreaking havoc throughout your village.”

“Has anyone tried to stop them?”

“There have been some retaliators,” Astrid answered, “but they’ve only made things worse by escalating the pranks.”

“Oh gods,” Hiccup moaned, “This whole thing sounds incredibly stupid, which fits the twin’s description for sure.”

“What are we going to do?”

“Nothing. The people of Berk aren’t my problem anymore. I’m a dragon, so I can’t help them.” Hiccup showed his paw for emphasis. Astrid frowned.

“What?” Hiccup inquired.

“The Hiccup I know would never give up,” she noted, “even when things seem hopeless. You’re literally the craziest and most determined guy I know.”

“Things are different now, Astrid. Also, I’m not the chief that Berk needs.”

“Things are never different, Hiccup. You’re still the same chief that Berk has always needed for its future.”

“I still don’t know about this.”

“You’re the only person, dragon or not, who can stop this stupid prank war. If you don’t act, who will?”

“You’re right of course.”

“So, what are you going to do?”

“Give me another day, I’ll think of something.”

“Okay.” Hiccup knew she was right, but doubts still clung in his mind. His father was so brave and selfless, and it felt to him as if he had to live up completely to his mark or not try at all. His father was not here however, and he stood here, pridefully and lazily ignoring the desperation of the people of Berk. The feelings of guilt began to tear into him, so Hiccup vowed to make things right again if he could. The only way he could do it was by trying. Try, or don’t, there is no guarantee of doing or not doing what one has set out to do. Hiccup realized this now. He gained nothing by staying in the cove, and he felt drawn to help his people. All of the dragons stood or sat quietly for a while, deep in thought.

“Isn’t it great we’re all dragons now?” Stormfly randomly uttered, “it’s too bad we can’t talk to your human friends in the village though. That will probably make it hard to get them to stop fighting.”

“That’s it!” Hiccup exclaimed. “we can stop the war without speaking at all!” All dragons were attentive now, curious as to what he meant. “Toothless, can you teach Astrid and I how to fly?”

“I didn’t think about it before little guy, but I don’t think I can. Considering I’m missing half a tail, a saddle, and a rider.”

“Oh yeah forgot about that. Sorry bud. I guess we’ll have to wing it. Well Astrid, you up for a morning test flight?”

“You know it,” Astrid enthusiastically replied. Hiccup leapt off the ground, unsteadily flapping his wings, but managing to stay in the air nonetheless. Astrid soon followed, her tail drifting. It was blown beneath her, and she fell to the ground once more.

“Your wings are what keeps you flying, Toothless helpfully commented to Astrid, “but the tail is the rudder. If you don’t pay close attention to that, you will end up falling.” Hiccup was a natural it seemed, as he performed flips and dives in the air. He had flown so much on Toothless that his new tail and wings almost seemed like an extension of himself, allowing him to learn how to fly much faster than most who have never ridden a night fury before. Astrid was a fast learner as well however, and soon she joined him in the sky. They flew side by side, almost touching wings. Hiccup suddenly gained speed, and ascended into the thick clouds. Astrid followed him in, but lost him somewhere ahead of her. She looked around, and couldn’t find him. Suddenly, she broke through the top of the clouds and Hiccup reappeared beneath her, flying parallel with her and facing her. The two dragons exchanged glances, and Hiccup let his tongue fly out for a moment. Both of them began to slow their climb to the heavens, and finally reached the highest point. As they did, they admired each other. Hiccup quickly licked his beloved, and the two let themselves plummet for a moment. They steadied their glide across the billowing clouds, swirling about each other in the sky. Every twist and turn was one they made in unison, as though they had become one dragon. Although they descended from the clouds, their hearts still remained together far above them. Far beneath them, Toothless and Stormfly seemed as tiny as mites, and the village of Berk came into view promptly. Astrid gave another happy sigh, and moved closer to her boyfriend, letting her wing rest under his. Hiccup glanced over to her, smiling. The ocean, the mountains, the forest, the hills and plains were all spread out before them. The ocean sparkled from the light of the sun, and the snow-covered peaks threw sheets of snow about as if it were dust. The mighty forest seemed like a small garden from their height. The hills and plains below swirled and rippled in the wind.

The tall Berkian Viking statues in the ocean stood proud. The dragon pair descended from the sky and landed on one of the statues, facing the little village of Berk. They sat down next to one another, tails automatically preferring closeness to each other. The wind hit them hard from behind, but they maintained their balance on the stone structure. Huge waves broke against the bottom of the statue far below them, and the mist often reached the dragon couple. Astrid leaned herself onto Hiccup, and he rested his chin on her head.  
“It’s good to have you back,” Astrid said affectionately.  
“You too. I’m really glad you’re here with me,” Hiccup responded with equal affection. “No matter what form, I will always love you, Astrid Hofferson.”  
“And I, you, Hiccup Haddock.” With that, the dragon couple exchanged licks and simply sat in the misty winds. They closed their eyes and nuzzled one another, feeling the smooth, warm scales but also feeling the love they shared more so than they ever had.


	4. Instincts

Never before had such an opportunity presented itself. It lingered in the back of the minds of two dragons for a while. It festered and grew over their time together. It was like a disease eating away at their mental cognition. It began to blind all focus but on the subject of thought. Both dragons had seen the other with no barrier or blinder of any sort; all of them was present for the eye to see. It puzzled them both, however it fascinated them in the same way. It was a disturbing feeling, as if someone could be infringing upon some right to privacy which dragons in the wild had no knowledge of nor had any care for. However, for these newly transformed humans become dragons, it was a strange thing indeed. Part of them realized that it was perfectly natural to be without covering. The other more human side of their nature which now dwindled found it most offensive. But it was all that thinking could offer to them at the present moment. As they flew back towards the island of Berk, Astrid swerved off course. Hiccup checked his side, noticing Astrid’s movement and following her without much thought. The cove was not their course, and both of them knew it. They both trusted each other, but these thoughts were new ones that had never been dealt with before, so both dragons remained leery and cautious as if to brace themselves for the unknown. It was more of an exciting feeling, as if one was discovering a new species of dragon. It’s a fearful thing, since one does not know what to expect. Maybe you’ve heard stories about the dragon, but no amount of storytelling can prepare you for any real thing. The same was true here. The difference was that Astrid and Hiccup had not even heard stories. They only knew vague details. They had kept clean and pure all their lives, and this new discovery may have been a bit unwelcome to both of them due to its suddenness. They saw no need for it, nor did they want to start their lives at this point. Neither of them were ready for the burden that came along with the conclusion of these emotions and thoughts. However strongly their senses warned them, the primitive and time-old instincts of both human and animal alike prevailed over them.

Toothless, over a mile away, perched atop a creaky tree, watched as the tiny black and white specks of dragons turned their course away from the cove once more. It was probably just another bit of their romantic flight, he assumed as the cold winds picked up and whipped around his ear flaps. Toothless had seen many dragon couples in love on Berk, and he could easily see what was about to happen despite being miles away from the two dragons. In a way, his heart was joyful for these two, but in another way, he seemed puzzled at this unusual human behavior. He had never seen humans in love in the same way that dragons were in love. Dragons performed rituals and dances that closely copied each other to impress mates, but humans typically took it very slow. First, they would start out by picking flowers, or simply getting up the nerve to face the subject of their secret admiration. With Hiccup and Astrid, it had started out pretty rough, but then Hiccup showed Astrid his true self, and she fell for him, although she was inconsistent in how she showed her love. Sometimes she punched him, or pretended to not notice him, but in the end they both were in love. Toothless watched them in the sky earlier as they had flown as one, in awe and hopeful anticipation that only comes to those who have not experienced the feeling of being in love. Toothless, however curious to observe, forced himself to stay put. There had been many mornings when Hiccup had begun to dress, and he seemed quite embarrassed when Toothless had even looked at him, so he had learned that humans need at least some privacy. Maybe that was the reason he had never seen any humans performing rituals in public. All he could understand for sure was that humans are very strange creatures indeed. 

Toothless tried to remember the human’s symbol that supposedly embodied the idea of love between two creatures. What was it? Oh yes, the heart it was called. Vikings were often ashamed of ‘having a heart’, but everyone seemed to have one. Whether it was caring for someone, or liking someone, no one could deny that somewhere in that cold Hooligan mass there was a heart. He had seen nearly every human and dragon on the whole island of Berk fall in love at least once. Every bird even had its own mate. Even now, Hiccup and Astrid remained together in their new forms. One being a night fury, and the other a bright fury, or at least that’s what Toothless was naming her. Although he was not one prone to extreme mopey-ness, the night fury had always wondered why he had not found anyone yet to have a heart for. He cared for Hiccup, but he found himself lacking that romantic love that he had seen so much. Some people almost thought of it as a disease. ‘love is in the air’ they would say. But Toothless could not feel any love tonight, nor could he smell it in the air. All he could smell, sitting upon the bending tree, was his own fishy breath and the salty sea which broke restlessly onto the murky beaches and rugged rocks.  
As Toothless returned to the cove’s grassy ground, his face fell into gloom. Stormfly noticed, and stepped over next to him, trying not to disturb him too much. 

“Are you okay?” Stormfly asked with head turned so her eye could see Toothless’ response. 

“I’m fine.” Toothless briefly announced. Stormfly sat next to him, observing the ground since her friend was already doing the same. 

“Everyone has someone to love,” Toothless finally admitted, “I’m happy for them, really. But I just wish I had someone like that in my life.”

“I thought that way too, but then one day it happened.” Stormfly commented, “everyone will find someone unless they just give up.”

“True, but it seems so common that it should have happened to me by now by some chance. Maybe there’s another night fury out there somewhere. I don’t know why I haven’t found her yet.”

“Who knows, maybe you’ll find another light fury.”

“Light fury? I was thinking bright fury, but your idea is better… probably.”

“You’ll find a girl someday, Toothless. Don’t worry about it. It usually happens when you least expect it.”

“I guess you’re right, but I don’t know how much longer I can wait around.”

“Then don’t wait. Just live your life, and you and her will find your way together eventually. I’m sure of that. Just because everyone is in some sort of relationship on this island doesn’t mean that you need to put yourself down. Okay sorry, that sounded kind of bad when I said it aloud.”

“I think I understand what you’re trying to say though, and it’s alright.”

“Do you need huggies, sir?”

“Yes, that would be most helpful right now.” Toothless rapped his forearms around the compassionate Nadder. She put her wings around him, returning the embrace without the need for arms that she lacked.

Hiccup and Astrid descended into the forest, making their way through the thick shrubbery in search for something. They did not know by heart what it was they searched for, but rather by instincts. Hiccup’s humanity became jaded and dulled as he followed the enchanting gait of the dragoness before him. He brushed many bushes, but could not feel them, nor could he hear the birds. His mind, his eyes, his ears, and all of himself could only focus upon Astrid. It was a wildness that surprised him, but he did not fight it any longer. He understood the dragon customs, and vaguely remembered back to previous generations of his dragon species. Dragons who found their mate and courted them according to mutual love, just as humans have done. A night fury’s instincts for romantic encounters struck Hiccup as very human-like in their functionality. First came the attraction, then the courting and ‘dating’, and finally the part that involves baby dragons. But Hiccup and Astrid had already completed the courting process during their human lives, and now dragon instinct demanded that further action be taken. In a way, the human instincts demanded it as well. Hiccup found himself progressing towards a very draconic state, but he found no want to fight it. It was part of him now, and the human parts of him would continue to fade, or at least that's what he believed. The dragoness checked behind herself, gazing into her dragon’s eyes and uttering a wistful whine before turning into a small cave. It was dark, and cold, but all that could be felt between the two reptiles was warmth and love. The dragoness struck several stalagmites about the size of her paw with blasts of plasma, which seemed to illuminate them for an extended period. They glowed like green fireworms, lighting the cave with a soft ambience that excited both dragons. Their hearts beat at a quickened pace, despite it having been already quite hastened by their romantic flight. Their hearts ran for something that neither of them had thought possible during their human lives together, but had always secretly hoped for. 

Their mutual love was not merely whimsical, but it was filled with the purest of thoughts that they had ever conceived for anyone. But with great love there is always temptation. The dragon walked towards his potential mate, making advances upon her that she received without hesitation. Hiccup had watched dragon’s mating rituals before, but never had he imagined he would be performing one. His instincts lured him onto his mate’s back, and then his body began to do the rest. The dragoness suddenly shifted beneath the weight of her mate. Almost as soon as Hiccup had “made first contact” for lack of a family-friendly term, the dragoness bolted out from under him, leaving him overturned, and stood outside the cave’s entrance. The stalagmites almost seemed to become more dull to Hiccup after she left. It instantly dawned on Hiccup what they had done, and what they had almost done. He should have resisted the urges of the instincts. His human instincts and emotions came flooding in like a lost memory suddenly recalled. He slowly felt a great morose settle in upon him. Hiccup believed that he had ruined their relationship. His face was downcast, and he stamped the ground with his paw in frustration at his own stupidity. Why did you have to do that Hiccup? He sharply inquired of himself. The grey sky cast liquid orbs onto the dragoness at the entrance of the cave that barreled and flowed around her body like rivers of remorse. She stood with her tail towards her dragon, gazing down at the ground, browsing her own thoughts. She looked about in the pages of her mind, attempting to find order in the sudden upheaval of her cognitive library. Nothing felt in order about it, and much labor and toil would be required to reassemble the shelves and compile the books. The easiest choice is to give up, and let the books lay where they were, but Astrid is not that kind of dragoness. Another easy choice: blame someone else for the upheaval. But she could not. She knew it was equally her fault and Hiccup’s fault. But the pages had been turned, the library in ruins, and the pen had already written the words. There was no undoing the past.

“I’m sorry, Hiccup,” she spoke softly, with regret in her voice.

“I’m sorry too, Astrid,” Hiccup answered, his voice signaling his closeness to her. He stood beside her and a short way back, so as not to intrude upon her space again. They both had thought over the same things, and they both knew it. But while Astrid had put the blame on both of them, Hiccup put it entirely on himself; a dangerous burden to carry alone.

“I wish I hadn’t made a wish,” Hiccup boldly (and unironically) stated. “If I hadn’t, none of this would have happened.”

“Hiccup, it wasn’t just you who made this decision,” Astrid retorted, “I made it too. We are both responsible for what happened in that cave. We can’t undo what we did, but we can move on. Hiccup, I still love you, with all of my heart, and I always will.” 

“I know. You’re probably right, as usual. But I just wish I had been stronger.”

“Sometimes wishes aren’t the answer to everything. Sometimes going through struggles makes you stronger after you come out of it. Maybe you can accept that you’re human, and push past the mistakes and learn from them.”

“You’re right,” He said half-heartedly.

“If I’m right, then what are you going to do about it?”

“Probably something stupid, then I’ll push past it and do some more stupid stuff.”

“Sounds like something completely normal for you. That’s what makes you strong, Hiccup.”

“Thanks, babe. I needed that. Let’s get back to the cove before the gang misses us too much.”

With new enthusiasm, and a renewed relationship, the duo flew towards the cove. Hiccup led the flight this time, and Astrid kept a good distance behind. They had set up important boundaries, ones which many humans and dragons cannot understand. Relationships thrive when they are restrained and kept under control. Sex is not to be abused, it is to be treasured and savored only after marriage. Hiccup and Astrid knew these truths in their hearts, but were not entirely sure why. It had always appealed to them when couples would do this, as it felt much more romantic. Sex is not special when it is shared with multiple people, or before marriage, they understood. It would be like having Snoggletog every day of the year. Eventually, it would get boring, repetitive, and meaningless. Sure, sex has more pleasure and temporary gains than Snoggletog does, but once the happiness and emotional highs wear off, the users of sex will be left depressed. It is simply not worth it. The obsession with it eats into the lives of people, and their overall happiness becomes dependent upon it. It is a disease that no one should accept readily. Astrid and Hiccup’s maturity in realizing this fact makes their relationship much more wholesome and filled with true happiness, rather than emptiness and regret.  
When Hiccstrid landed in the cove, Toothless and Stormfly eyed them curiously.

“You two were gone for quite a while,” Toothless remarked, “you seem different, Hiccup. You okay?”

“Yes,” Hiccup replied, “let’s just say we had a lesson in true relationships.” 

“Oh my gosh,” Stormfly gasped, “are you two getting babies? If so, can I be their sitter? I’ve always wanted to be a sitter.”

“uhh…” Hiccup blankly answered.

“No, we’re not getting anything, I hope,” Astrid responded. “I didn’t stick around long enough for that.”

“Why not?” Stormfly plainly inquired.

“Okay Stormfly,” Toothless interjected, “that’s enough questions.”

“Thank you Toothless,” Hiccup quickly added.


End file.
